Andrés is the President of the Qualia Research Institute (QRI), a consciousness research nonprofit studying valence, psychedelic phenomenology, and the computational structure of experience. Find his work:

* Website: qri.org

* Blog: qualiacomputing.com

* Substack: Andrés Gómez-Emilsson

* X: @algekalipso

I sat down with Andrés Gómez Emilsson, President of the Qualia Research Institute, to dig into jhana and 5-MeO — how they compare as altered states, what QRI’s research has actually found running retreats and EEG studies on both, and what it means for a state to be “high valence.” We get into the three fires framing consciousness research takes on psychedelic and meditative states, why isolating a canonical “dark night of the soul” pattern is harder than it sounds, and how repeated deep states can shift someone’s baseline over years — equanimity that shows up not just introspectively but in how a person talks and moves through the world.

Timestamps:0:00 — Catching up, framing jhana and 5-MeO as the topics for today5:34 — QRI’s Jhana retreat and the 5-MeO retreat that followed it15:35 — Why 5-MeO and jhana are obvious research targets for consciousness science20:12 — EEG research on jhana and 5-MeO states23:37 — Comparing which jhana levels map onto which 5-MeO doses43:20 — Is there a canonical “dark night of the soul” pattern?53:29 — How meditation and 5-MeO can both leave you in a “critical range”1:02:51 — Andrés’s first 5-MeO experience at QRI’s 2023 Canada retreat1:05:58 — What repeated use over dozens/hundreds of sessions looks like1:08:49 — The long-term shift: increased equanimity, visible even in how he speaks1:09:32 — Where to find Andrés’s work

Daniel writes and podcasts as O.G. Rose, together with his wife Michelle Opperman. Find their work:

* Website: ogrose.com

* Substack: O.G. Rose

* Book referenced in this conversation: Belonging Again: An Explanation — on Amazon

This one was actually filmed in January — it got lost in the sauce, but I’m resurfacing it now because the conversation still holds up.

I sat down with Daniel Garner for a wide-ranging conversation on Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, why he calls it a “cathedral,” and where he thinks Rand’s framework hits its limits. We get into the invisible infrastructure that makes ordinary life possible (and why the people furthest from it tend to be most oblivious to it), the “map crisis,” the “confidence crisis,” and the “institutional decay crisis” as distinct threads inside what’s often lumped together as the meaning crisis, and how pluralistic societies create belonging problems no prior era had to solve. We close on AI, value diversity, and why becoming an expert in one thing can quietly set someone up for nihilism when they hit the top of that one ladder.

Timestamps:0:00 — Catching up, laying out the themes for this conversation2:37 — The map crisis, confidence crisis, and institutional decay crisis3:14 — Why Atlas Shrugged is a “cathedral” — Rand’s case for itself14:45 — Thomas Sowell’s Conflict of Visions and its influence1:22:56 — The “picking order” in Atlas Shrugged that isn’t a power dynamic1:53:13 — AI, value diversity, and why AI doesn’t have to replace us1:55:37 — The free-market challenge at the heart of Belonging Again1:59:40 — Why process matters as much as outcome2:17:46 — YouTube, Zoom, and portfolios as a new architecture for belonging2:28:45 — Closing thoughts: expertise, ladders, and the meaning crisis

* Substack: Wystan Bryant-Scott

* Instagram: @wystantbs

* Website: https://www.wystantbs.com/

* Book a session: savvycal.com/wystantbs

* X: WystanTBS

I sat down with meditation teacher and phenomenologist Wystan Bryant-Scott to talk about jhana — the deep absorption states the Buddha taught, and why they’re far more attainable than most people think. We get into why renunciation isn’t about denying yourself pleasure but finding something better than it, how a harsh, adversarial relationship with practice quietly wrecks people (and how to soften it without losing rigor), the role of metta and the brahmaviharas in setting up insight, and the “world is a flame” teaching from the Aditta-pariyaya Sutta. We close on soul-making, why desire itself was never the problem, and the difference between things fading as you see their emptiness versus a fuller freedom that doesn’t need anything to fade at all.

Timestamps:0:00 — Who Wystan is and his practice background1:13 — Why practice jhana at all3:43 — Renunciation as deeply pleasurable, not deprivation8:26 — Calming the adversarial relationship with your own practice18:31 — Is metta a “lesser” practice than jhana? How it deepens insight26:02 — “The world is still aflame” — the Fire Sermon38:36 — Soul-making, arrows, and Rob Burbea39:25 — Desire isn’t the problem — fixation is46:36 — Emptiness, dependent origination, and why things don’t have to fade52:36 — What still drives his practice after all this time55:03 — Why awakening matters even for someone in total isolation

May this video be of service to those with the desire to be liberated from shame and the inner critic.

00:00 — Intro: refuge, the inner critic, shame, and the path

00:48 — The old view: shame is something to overcome

01:33 — Hustle culture and “outwork your self-doubt” — why it’s harmful

02:31 — The core insight: the adversarial relationship locks shame in place

06:14 — Finding a softer way: Pema Chödrön and Rob Burbea

07:27 — What refuge means in the Buddha Dharma

09:05 — Cultivating a refuge more nourishing than the shame

10:28 — Two moves: meeting suffering softly, releasing identification (anattā)

12:34 — “The confidence to let go” — Rob Burbea on samadhi

16:03 — Samadhi isn’t a state to attain — it’s a relationship with experience

18:00 — “Thank you for rejecting me” — working with painful self-contraction

20:41 — Wise attitudes to the hindrances: don’t take it personally, don’t believe the thoughts

23:06 — The Four Noble Truths and the power of the word “how”

24:48 — Seeing suffering as dependent on conditions

27:04 — Deep refuge is possible: metta on the highway

28:22 — Bringing service into work and career

31:44 — The insecure self: why acquiring more never makes us whole

33:02 — Metta, compassion, and mudita — what actually creates happiness

34:13 — The danger of seeking refuge in things that change

37:50 — Craving, clinging, and partners as false refuge

40:07 — The opportunity point: choosing the refuge that doesn’t change

42:27 — Not taking suffering to mean something about your essence

44:06 — The path is dynamic and alive — closing

In this episode, Andres we delve into the groundbreaking work of Qualia Research Institute (Andres’ core project), uncovering its ambitious principles and goals aimed at understanding the very core of consciousness and suffering. From the quest to grasp the conditions for meaningful existence to the pursuit of reducing extreme suffering and enhancing positive conscious experiences.

We talk about the computational properties of the mind and the nature of joy and suffering. Through the symmetry theory of valence, we decode the underlying patterns that shape our experiences of bliss and suffering. Gain insights into how understanding the texture of experience and fostering pro-social emotions like loving-kindness can lead to profound shifts in well-being.

Whether you're a seasoned explorer of consciousness or a curious newcomer, this episode offers a thought-provoking exploration of the frontiers of human experience. Prepare to expand your understanding of consciousness and uncover the secrets of bliss and suffering with Andres Gomez and the Qualia Research Institute.

In this thought-provoking discussion, political philosopher and metamodern thinker Daniel Görtz offers a radical new lens for making sense of our conflicting modern era. As a leader of "the Nordic school" and co-author of the influential "Hanzi Freinacht" book series, Daniel argues that both traditional and progressive worldviews are ultimately flawed and self-undermining.

He posits that metamodernism can coordinate the legitimate perspectives of traditionalists, mainstream modernity, and the postmodern critics - without simply defaulting to absolutist stances that inevitably alienate and silence others. Daniel unpacks how metamodernism's "sincere irony" and "serious playfulness" allow for the creative leaps needed to transcend modernism's limitations and postmodernism's self-defeating deconstructions.

Drawing from developmental theory and integral thought, he envisions an evolved societal framework that is nevertheless uncompromising in including and negotiating multiple value systems. By taking a "metamodern" approach grounded in nuanced coordination of conflicting perspectives, Daniel offers a timely third way for healing our culture wars and evolving beyond the modern/postmodern deadlock.

In this episode we speak on utilizing strategy in service of deepening our capacity to love, be in relationship, develop virtue and ethical capacities, increase cognitive complexity and increase emotional intelligence. As well as:

* Strategy serves as a defense against the white noise of the digital age, clarifying our purpose in each waking moment.

* It applies to personal facets of life such as emotional, spiritual, and relationship development, rather than just career progression.

* Confronting the smallest fears can lead to a cascade of courage, unlocking doors we once thought impenetrable.

In this episode I speak on how humanity is still enslaved. We’re all selling our souls to a system that none of us can stop. It started before we were born and now the only way to survive in today’s world is to commit your life-force to this machine. What are the implications of this? How does it show up in our lives? What can we do about it? These are all questions I ask in this episode.

In this episode I speak with Danial Garner from the OG Rose duo, and we speak on embodying virtues and engaging in existential preparation is essential for personal growth, effective decision-making, and creating a better world.

Timestamps

* 00:00 Prioritizing the Internal Life

* 11:18 The Conflation of Virtue and Morality

* 25:03 Existential Anxiety & Discernment in Virtue Development

* 33:16 Virtue Training Improves Mental health

* 47:51 Writing and Internal Challenges as Existential Prep

* 56:18 Standing Strong in Face of Criticism

* 01:04:32 Virtue Training As Antidote to Close-Mindedness

* 01:14:34 Truth, Goodness and Beauty

In this episode I speak with Vince Horn about how multiplayer meditation, incorporating AI systems and interpersonal practices, can deepen human connection and create meaningful impact in the world.

Links

https://meditatewith.ai/

vincehorn.space

Timestamps

* 00:00 Multiplayer Meditation

* 15:19 Interpersonal Practices

* 33:41 AI Meditation

* 43:09 Social and Spiritual Impact Through Business

* 55:09 Honoring Spiritual, Social, and Cultural Capital

* 01:10:22 Building Ethical Organizations within Capitalism

* 01:22:38 Meditation through an App